Journal of Language and Education

Introduction: Various linguistic mechanisms and devices are applied in academic writing to communicate the opinion and valuations of the authors and engage with their readers. The concepts of author’s voice, stance and identity stand out among numerous notions describing various aspects related to the author in the written academic discourse. The scoping review aims to synthesize the knowledge on those concepts in the international publications with a view to defining frequently and interchangeably used terms.

Method: This scoping review sticks to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses  (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews, the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and PСC framework.

Results: The review synthesized 40 publications on the author-related concepts indexed in the Scopus database. The documents were distributed among three thematic clusters: Cluster 1. Identity in academic writing and author-related concepts. Cluster 2. Authorial voice in academic discourse. Cluster 3. Author’s stance. The data extracted from the documents under review on the key author-related concepts in academic writing – author’s voice, stance and identity – allowed to sum up the definitions and major features supporting the understanding of those concepts.

Discussion: The review proved that the terminology in the field is rather unclear and ambiguous. The key concepts tend to be used interchangeably. The limitations of the review were incorporated in some eligibility criteria, including publications in other languages, geography, and types of publications. Future reviews may focus on the publications dwelling upon authorial engagement with readers indexed in databases other than Scopus to give a more realistic picture.          

Conclusion: The findings may become the background for future research on authorial voice, stance, identity in academic discourse as well as other author-related concepts.

Introduction: The advent of artificial intelligence in education has brought forward tools like ChatGPT, which can potentially enhance students' academic writing abilities. However, there is limited empirical evidence examining its effectiveness and students' perceptions of its utility in academic contexts.

Purpose: This study aimed to measure the effect of using ChatGPT on students' academic writing abilities and to investigate students’ perceived experiences regarding the use of ChatGPT in their writing process.

Method: An explanatory mixed-method design was employed, incorporating a quantitative experiment followed by a qualitative investigation. The quantitative phase involved 102 fifth-semester students from an English education department at a university in Indonesia. These students were randomized into clusters based on their proximate writing test scores, resulting in two homogenous classes of 25 students each. These classes were then assigned to either an experimental group, which received 14 sessions using ChatGPT as a learning tool for academic writing, or a control group, which received 14 sessions using non-generative tools. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to both groups. The qualitative phase involved interviews with 10 selected students from the experimental group to explore their perceived experiences with ChatGPT.

Results: The pre-test scores indicated homogeneity between the experimental and control groups, with scores of 57.15 and 56.35 respectively. After the intervention, the post-test scores revealed significant improvement in the experimental group, with an average score of 81.11 compared to 60.30 in the control group. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant disparity between the two groups (p-value = 0.0000 < 0.05 for the experimental group and p-value = 0.067 > 0.05 for the control group), suggesting that the use of ChatGPT significantly enhanced students' academic writing abilities. The qualitative findings supported these results, with students reporting that ChatGPT facilitated idea generation, organization, and construction in their writing process.

Conclusion: The study concludes that ChatGPT significantly improves students' academic writing abilities, as evidenced by both quantitative and qualitative data. The tool's capacity to assist in the formulation and organization of ideas presents substantial potential for its use in academic research and writing. Given these findings, ChatGPT could be a valuable addition to the educational toolkit for enhancing academic writing skills.

Background: As an approach aiming to increase students' knowledge and awareness of the world they live in, global education includes using global issues in the lessons.hile English language courses offer a flexible platform for discussing global issues, their systematic incorporation remains inconsistent. This situation necessitates the analysis of the integration of global issues in EFL contexts and the revelation of current practices by English lecturers.

Purpose: This case study examines the place of global issues in the English courses offered in Turkish higher education institutions by using critical theory and critical pedagogy as guiding frameworks.

Method: This qualitative study adopts a case study design through interviews with 13 English lecturers from various universities in Türkiye. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common patterns in lecturers' approaches to global issue integration.

Results: The findings reveal that while lecturers recognize the benefits of incorporating global issues, some challenges hinder effective implementation. These include strict curricula, reliance on standardized coursebooks, institutional limitations, and concerns over including sensitive topics. Moreover, despite the adoption of a critical pedagogical approach by some lecturers, the majority tend to engage with global issues in a superficial manner and this limits their transformative potential in language education.

Conclusion: The study emphasizes the need for well-designed professional development programs to support lecturers in integrating global issues effectively. Language learning programs could be enhanced through a shift toward a more systematic and critical engagement with global topics in English language instruction. Future research should explore students' perspectives on global issue integration and examine institutional policies that influence teaching practices on the incorporation of global education.

Introduction: The launch of ChatGPT has popularized the use of Artificial Intelligence and has opened a debate about the opportunities and risks of this digital tool. Although it is still in development, ChatGPT offers numerous application possibilities as an educational resource.

Purpose: To explore the application of ChatGPT in enhancing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning, particularly in the field of tourism.

Method: In this research, 91 students from two groups taking the English 2 course at the University of Valencia used ChatGPT to complete tasks aimed at improving their English for Tourism Purposes (ETP) skills. Students used digital devices to interact with ChatGPT and submitted their work through the university's platform. The tasks included reading comprehension, vocabulary exercises, and role-play activities relevant to the tourism field. After the activities, students' interactions with ChatGPT were collected, and the quality of ChatGPT's responses was analyzed, with a focus on achieving at least 80% accuracy. This methodology was designed to provide real-world language practice and was evaluated to ensure the effectiveness of ChatGPT's assistance.

Results: The findings reveal that despite some limitations, ChatGPT proves to be a versatile and highly effective tool for both classroom and self-directed learning. It enhances students’ written communication skills through role-play activities by simulating conversations, that require students to write responses to its questions and providing them with detailed corrections and suggestions for improvement. In vocabulary acquisition, through a text-based methodology, ChatGPT helps students identify, define, and use relevant terms, which improves their overall language proficiency. Additionally, the interactive nature of ChatGPT tasks and its ability to provide instant feedback increase student engagement and motivation.

Conclusion: This study's findings indicate that ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) learning, despite some limitations in accuracy that hinder its unsupervised use. It is particularly effective for generating activities, obtaining additional information about texts, and vocabulary practice, although its current effectiveness in correcting activities requires teacher supervision. The ability of Chat GPT to create real-world scenarios with minimal preparation time makes it a useful resource for both classroom and autonomous learning. However, further research is essential to explore its full potential and address its limitations, ensuring reliable integration into language curricula.

Background: Motivated by the growing interest in the impact of study abroad programs on language development, the present research addresses a gap in the literature by examining the often-overlooked role of metadiscourse markers in writing.

Purpose: The study explores the impact of study abroad on the use of attitude markers, boosters, and hedges in the L2 English academic writing of international students.

Method: Using a pre-test post-test within-subject design, we analysed essays written by students before and after a semester abroad to map the characteristics of their interactional metadiscourse style and assess changes in their use of these markers.

Results: The findings show a significant increase in hedges post-study abroad, indicating a shift towards a more cautious and nuanced writing style. However, no statistically significant changes were observed for attitude markers and boosters. The overall range of interactional metadiscourse markers remained limited, occasionally making lexical choices more typical of informal language rather than academic written discourse.

Conclusion: While study abroad may enhance certain aspects of language use, targeted pedagogical interventions are needed to improve academic writing. Emphasizing interactional metadiscourse markers could help students develop a more sophisticated written style, better suited to academic contexts. This research contributes to both pragmatics and study abroad literature. In pragmatics, it expands existing knowledge on the writing styles of novice academic writers, particularly by identifying potential areas for improvement related to the use of metadiscourse markers. Simultaneously, it advances study abroad literature by introducing metadiscourse as a critical, yet previously underexplored indicator of writing quality. By highlighting the importance of these linguistic features, this study opens new avenues for both theoretical inquiry and practical applications in enhancing the academic writing skills of international students.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has transformed teaching and learning across various disciplines, among them languages. AI has numerous applications in language teaching and learning, including algorithms that personalize learning for individual learners, identify and structure lessons and learning activities based on a learner’s strengths, evaluate and provide constant feedback on a learner’s progress, and simulate interactive learning environments. Such innovative tools and applications enhance both language comprehension and production skills among learners, optimizing the outcomes of language teaching and learning. However, the adaptation of AI for language learning presents some ethical challenges related to data privacy, bias in the development and training of algorithms, and the lack of universality in access and usage of AI, which threatens to widen the already extensive inequalities in education. This article explores these dimensions of the application of AI in language learning and teaching with the overarching goal of fostering a more informed and ethical approach to the integration of AI and related technologies in language education.

In line with 21st-century curriculum reforms, "enhancing student learning" has long been a central focus in education, including language education. Researchers and educators have shown strong interest in student-centered approaches. Despite numerous efforts to improve the quality of language education, many classrooms remain predominantly teacher-centered. Project-Based Learning and Teaching (PBLT) is one approach currently receiving significant attention. The book "A Paradigm Shift for Language Education: Project-Based Learning and Teaching" by Gulbahar H. Beckett provides an in-depth perspective on the need for a paradigm shift in language education by adopting PBLT. It highlights the significance of combining academic content instruction with developing 21st-century skills in second language (L2) learning. Beckett explains how PBLT can help students achieve deep understanding, think critically, and solve problems in real-world scenarios.